Recently, at the 2024 China-Foreign Corporate Culture Summit held in Nanchang, Shougang stood amongst the 30 central and key provincial/ministerial state-owned enterprises receiving preeminent awards as the first batch of “5A-Rated Enterprises for Culture Building and Management” in China. This honor affirms and recognizes Shougang’s innovative practices in cultivating corporate culture in the new era.

The China Corporate Culture Institute and Standards Press of China released the national norm Guidelines for the assessment of corporate culture construction and management (T/CCCI 001-2024) to meticulously study and implement the tenets of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and the Guiding Opinions on Promoting Brand Building in the New Era jointly issued by seven ministries. The core objective is to harness the power of culture to forge world-class brands and leverage world-class branding to build world-class enterprises. This initiative seeks to summarize and promote the valuable experiences and innovations in the “integrated development of corporate culture and brand building” against the backdrop of Chinese-style modernization. The standard served as the basis for selecting the first batch of “5A-Rated Enterprises for Culture Building and Management” in China. Following dedicated reviews and interviews and a comprehensive survey involving almost 4,000 Shougang employees, the expert panel, after a rigorous technical evaluation, unanimously concluded that Shougang is a venerable company with a century-long history which has successfully navigated five crucial phases of development: “striving to salve the nation,” “growing to build a strong nation,” “competing in reform,” “consolidating in relocation,” and “pursuing prominence through transformation.” Throughout this trajectory, Shougang’s corporate culture has remained a vigorous and transformative driver, its brand has grown increasingly competitive, and its social influence has been universally recognized. Based on this, the expert panel overwhelmingly chose Shougang as one of the initial 30 “5A-Rated Enterprises for Culture Building and Management” in China.

Shougang’s seminal work Centennial Shougang: Inheriting Cultural Legacy and Revitalizing Brand Momentum, which details its best practices in corporate culture development, has been included in the 2024 Collection of Theses and Achievements in Corporate Culture Building and Management, and Integrated Development of Corporate Culture and Branding compiled by the China Corporate Culture Institute. The thesis elucidates the contemporary context from “three perspectives,” underscoring that the preservation and advancement of Shougang’s branding and culture is imperative from the profound study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, an indispensable safeguard of building Shougang into a world-class, cross-sector, large-scale group of enterprises, and a potent catalyst for injecting innovative vigor into corporate culture development. Further, it defines the strategic layout of “three clarifications.” It proposes the guiding principles, overarching objectives, and core tenets of carrying on and advancing Shougang’s branding and culture by “perpetuating Shougang’s cultural legacy, upholding the Shougang spirit, and refining Shougang’s work style.” It draws up a “three by three” action plan and charts a course for developing Shougang’s branding and culture by “fortifying confidence in Shougang’s culture, promoting innovation in Shougang’s culture, and cultivating cultural self-awareness across Shougang.” The thesis identified “nine” priorities that emphasize the in-depth interpretation of cultural heritage, meticulous development of cultural training materials, and delivery of far-reaching cultural education and training; creation of cultural hallmarks, namely, “a decade of meticulous refinement,” “together toward the future,” and “charging onto new tracks” in connection with the iron and steel industry, Shougang industrial parks, and emerging industrial-financial sectors; telling more interesting stories of Shougang employees, spotlighting exemplary individuals, showcasing the image of Shougang, and amplifying the value of the Shougang brand; and demonstrating Shougang’s commitment to concurrently cultivating both tangible and intangible strengths. This synergistic approach has yielded significant achievements, including a reinvigorated Shougang culture that fosters cohesion, enhanced Shougang product competitiveness, and the revitalized efficacy of the Shougang brand.

Several of Shougang’s member entities also showcased their corporate culture development best practices at the summit, garnering substantial attention. Notably, Shougang Jingtang delivered a presentation entitled Embracing First-Class Culture and Crafting an Exceptional Brand. Furthermore, the corporate culture initiatives of Beijing Shougang, Shougang Jingtang, Shougang Mining, Shougang Changzhi, Shougang International, Beijing Shougang International Engineering Technology, Beijing Shougang Construction Investment, and Shougang Mining Investment, among others, were recognized with awards for their “best practices in corporate culture building and management,” their exemplary “case studies in integrated corporate culture and brand development,” and their significant contributions to research in the field of corporate culture.